Making your Neverland Coastline a Map

If you have not already checked out the Unit Resource Page, or the beginning steps, Modeling Your Neverland and Neverland Topography, simply click on their titles to link to these first steps and instructions.

Now that your child has a map of the coastline of his or her Neverland, he or she can fill in the land with landmarks and a variety of habitats.  In an open space on the map you'll want to place a Legend box.  Explain what a legend is and then fill it in with some of the kinds of symbols your child feels is most appropriate for his/her map. 

Encourage your child to include:
Forested Areas, Desert, Grasslands and other types of familiar terrestrial ecosystems,
Streams, Lakes, Rivers and other aquatic/marine ecosystems,
Magical landforms of his or her imagination - perhaps gumdrop fields, or an ice-cream glacier.

A Town or two and a "capitol city" with roads or pathways connecting each of these locations.

For older children, you might want to explicitely guide them into thinking about how the topography effects the likely habitation of the land.  To do this, overlaying their political information on their topographical information might help, but keep the topography lines very light so that they are mostly "covered" by the new map information.  Too many lines of equal darkness can become confusing.

You can see what Alice did in her map above.  You can also see how I gave her a couple of examples of symbols in the legend and helped her with the actual writing of the words in the legend some.

The map you see above is really only a beginning.  Over the top of this, can be added symbols for towns and cities, as well as names for locations right on the map.  To take the final steps, make light pencil lines to create a straight line where-ever a name is needed.  For example, over the central area of the "lagoon" in the middle.  Then have your child give a place name for each location. 

This is a fabulous chance to introduce or review proper nouns versus common nouns.  A lagoon is a common noun, but once it is named "Mermaid Lagoon" it becomes a specific place, similar to "girl" being a common noun but, "insert daughter's name here" (or use boy and a son's name) is a proper noun.  It is your child's job to offer up the proper nouns now for his/her Neverland.

Middle Aged Europe

Having been given the title, "The Dark Ages" many people think of this as a period in history when not much was happening except death, war and decay.  In fact, there are amazing stories, art, and advancements that happened for society during the middle ages too - especially when you take a look at the world beyond Europe. 

In Europe, the middle age was the time of Vikings and their raids and amazing naval feats.  It was the age of Kings, Knights and Feudalism.  The Middle Ages brought us complex characters such as Charlemagne, William Wallace, King Alfred, and a huge variety of "Saints". The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights as well as the Legend of Robin Hood come from this time period as did the Magna Carta.  Like the history before it, the Middle ages were a time of betrayals, raiding and warring, of suffering and injustices but it was also a time of survival, re-growth, re-definition and change.

Whether you are a believer or not, the story of how Christianity and its influence over art and society grew during this time is a fascinating part of Europe's history.  The atrocities that took place in the name of Christianity are a part of this story as are the illuminated texts and the stories of the monks that sacrificed everything for those texts.  It is also the time when the essence of what we now know as The New Testament in anything other than Greek or Latin took shape through controversial translations and re-writings.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere, there was even more innovation - particularly through the work of early Muslims, there were major advancements in math, medicine, technology and the sciences as well as innovative cultural ideas.  For a really fast and funny over-view of the time- period (adults and teens - when I say, fast, I mean fast)  I recommend crash course

Lessons and Activities:

Make sure you know who is who in First Millenium Europe.  This blarticle will help you get to know the different barbarian groups in and near Europe at the End of the Roman Empire and those that followed shortly after the fall of Rome. 

Illuminated Manuscripts - use Help you child or children create a beautiful "History Record Book" in which to keep journal entries, artwork and maps used or made in their lessons on the Medieval Period.  Along the way learn about what an "Illumination" is and dip your feet into just one example of the amazing achievements in art during this period of history.  End the activities with a view of The Secret of Kells.

Knights - This set of lessons, includes Knights, with information about the tools and life of a Medieval Knight, and Two Articles about the Legendary King Arthur, Biography or Fiction? and a Literature Unit Resource page.

Castles, Cathedrals and Dungeons This article has a list of a few activities to try as well as video and book resources to help kids get to know castles, their construction and life in and around a Medieval castle.

Middle Music Information and Resources regarding the evolution of music during the Medieval Period.  Also make sure to check out the Illuminated Manuscripts as some of these scripts are the first examples of written semi-modern musical notation.

Careers in Medieval Europe Video Resources depicting different jobs various medieval peoples may have had and the good, bad, and downright aweful of making a living during the Middle Ages.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - There are actually a couple of lessons on this topic.  One, is a literary study that can be adapted and adjusted for a variety of ages and a variety of book sources.  The other is more of an historical study regarding who is King Arthur and how much factual history is the basis for the legend.

Some Related Articles that May be of Interest:

You may also find some inspiration for Language Arts practice with this list of Ten Writing Ideas for Historical Writing.

As with the Ancient Rome Unit, this page will grow and change over the coming months as I develop and add a variety of lessons to accompany it.  For now, here are just some of the wonderful resources I have found to get us started.

Other Resources of Interest:

From the History Channel: The Dark Ages (This movie is about the brutal time period we call the Dark Ages, Medieval Period and the Middle Ages.  Violence and death are shown) - Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9.

Terry Jones follows the first Road Atlas ever in The Great Mystery Map Series. The link will take you to episode one. 

Britain AD Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.  This has some surprising insights into the not-so-dark, dark ages.  Even if you do not share this with your kids, I recommend it for background information for you as the teacher and informer.  It certainly seems appropriate for Middle Schoolers and older who are studying the period (as well as many elementary school students) but preview the movie first so you know it fits your objectives and expectations.

Art of the Middle Ages and Gothic Influence

http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/

http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_timeline.php

The Viking Sword: +Ulfber+t swords: This movie is an engaging documentary about the discovery of these amazing swords that defy explanation from the era of the vikings.  A modern blacksmith attempts making a genuine replica using only the materials and technology of the era while archaeologists search for clues as to who the maker of the swords was.  A great diversion if your child is a fan of knights, vikings or just ancient weaponry in general. 

Blacksmith Clothing - a little insight into women's fashions of the time as well.

The Secret of Kells: This movie has amazing imagery full of symbolism.  Bleak, beautiful, fearsome, enlightening.  Although it is a cartoon, the story is a very serious one about monks trying to create their illuminated texts and escape viking raids.  The artistry uses images from Celtic traditions, illuminated texts and Anglo Saxon/vikings to bring about this visual telling of one take on what life might have been like for those involved in writing The Book of Kells.  It was never given a rating and although it does not have a lot of violence or any images of sex or bad language, you should be aware that some of the images are pretty dark and mysterious and might be scary for the particularly sensitive and young child.  I had no qualms about sharing it with my six-year-old however, and even developed a couple of lessons leading up to watching the movie.

Neverland Topography

To create a topographical map of your Neverland, you will need to have Created a Neverland in the first place.  The directions for doing so are given on the linked article.

Materials:

In addition to the materials used in creating your Neverland, you will need a toothpick or other pointed tool to scratch lines into the dough used for your model, a ruler, and a way to secure the toothpick to the ruler and still be able to move it again.  We used scotch tape and a firm grip.

What to Do:

1. Choose and increment and attach the tooth pick to the ruler at a low increment that makes sense for your child's island (and age).  For example, Alice's Island rose to about two inches and at age six she still struggles with precise fine motor skills so 1/2 inch increments made sense to demonstrate topographical lines on a map, while not over-doing the project.  If she was a little better and precise action with her fingers, I might have had her do 1/4 inch increments.  Likewise, if her island had had little to no relief (was relatively flat) we would have needed smaller increments to give her something to measure. 
2. You can see Alice "scratching out" her one inch increment in the picture below.
3. Trace the scratched lines in much the same way as tracing the coastline of your Neverland.
4. Add a key denoting the elevation line increments and a title stating what the map is depicting.

Once all the Topographical lines are traced, you can make a copy onto a regular piece of paper, or use tracing paper to get the topographical lines transferred onto paper on which your child can color in the rest of his or her map.  If you plan on doing the whole unit, you may want to have at least three copies of the map.  In the picture below, you see Alice tracing her lines of elevation onto her topographical transparency with a Crayola Dry Erase Crayon (not a paid advertisement).

Discuss with your child how the closeness of the lines show steep inclines.  Where there are "steep slopes" or "cliffs" the lines come really close to one another, but where the lines are further apart the land moves like a gentler hill.  Compare this map with some other topographical maps to help your child see a "real" topographical map (Printable online topographical maps) and how it represents important information to those moving around on the land that was mapped.  For example, I suggest having your child pick out the shortest distances to travel up a mountain side and then also find routes that would be the "easiest routes" even if they are longer.  What kind of additional equipment is needed for the shortest route? 

The beginning of the Neverland Unit Article is linked Here.  Don't forget to also have your child make a political/ecological map of his or her Neverland.  For instructions, click here.

Sleepless in Elementary

Kids go through periods where sleep is hard to come by from time to time.  At times like this it can really be a struggle to sleep.  Whether it is falling asleep or staying asleep that is the problem it can be especially troublesome when children can't get to sleep (or get back to sleep) and don't have alternatives that won't wake the whole family.

Prevention:

Even during the primary or elementary school years, it is a good idea to use a bed-time routine most of the time (in fact, it is really what is best for us adults too).  Routine helps your child's brain start shutting down and send signals to the body that is time to chill out and get ready for sleeping.  You do not need to stick to exactly the same routine you used when your child was two, but a routine that includes hygienic care (such as brushing teeth) followed by some sort of calming ritual, like bed-time stories or independent reading is a typical way to go.

Screen time seems to reduce the ability of the brain to move into sleep so I've heard it suggested that no computer, video or TV for at least half an hour before attempting sleep is a good plan.  Along the same lines, foods and drinks (other than water) aren't a great idea in the hour leading up to bed as they too, can reduce the likelihood of a quick and easy transition into the Land of Nod.

Make sure your child has a "nest."  Bed should be clean and comfortable, the right temperature for your child, and calm.  If your child likes soft music playing and it helps - go for it, if your child is the type that needs silence in order to fall asleep - do your best to give him or her that too.

Have a bed-time that you stick to pretty religiously most of the time.  When kids (and adults) go to bed at the same time night after night, the brain is better able to predict when you should start to feel sleepy.  It helps to set and keep that internal clock set and ticking in a healthful way.

A Brief Reassurance: 

Sometimes, there can be a shift in hormones (they aren't only for adolescence), a growth spurt, shifting adult teeth as they get ready to push baby teeth out of the way, and even subtle changes in stress level not easily detected even by the child can cause temporary bouts of insomnia.   A growth spurt in learning that causes a child's brain to be over-stimulated can also cause problems.  It makes it hard for kids to down-shift at night (routine helps with this).  You'll both need to know sleep is elusive and there isn't a lot that can be done about it at times.  When this happens, making sure your child is at least getting good hearty and healthy meals and a little quiet time (squeezed in right after school perhaps?) can help keep moods good and exhaustion at bay.

Less sleep isn't necessarily a problem for kids during certain periods of growth and often these short periods of insomnia will pass - depending on the route cause (which none of you may ever know). If your child is losing enough sleep that he or she is suffering fatigue because of the loss of sleep it can sometimes help to encourage a short afternoon nap.  Something in the way of 20-40 minutes once or twice, much longer or for multiple days in a row and you are setting everyone up for another night of sleeplessness (unless we are speaking about someone under the age of about four or five). 

Intervention:

Lets say you have a son that can't sleep and is waking others up during the night when he starts playing and making noise.  Here is a series of steps you might try in order to engage the child in problem solving with you.  The advantage of involving the child in finding solutions is that he might be able to give insight into what is keeping him awake, that he learns about the problem solving process through your modeling and his practice during the process, and when kids are engaged in finding solutions for problems, they are more likely to be invested in making the solution work.

1. Ask him what he thinks is up with the not sleeping thing when it is daylight and just you can talk. Do this when you have time to sit and listen. He very likely doesn't really know what is up and is playing at night because he is bored since he can't sleep. Allow him some time to think through things. You may need to sit silently waiting for answers to questions like, "why do you think you aren't able to sleep."
2. Don't take him at his word when he offers up a first answer - it is very likely it is a red herring. He wants to please you by giving you an answer, but he doesn't really know how to do that so he is giving you the first answer that comes to mind. Respond with "hmm. That's interesting. Anything else?" or some other very open-ended question. Give him some time again - maybe there really isn't anything else, but give him some time. If he says "I don't know" and still doesn't know after thinking about for a minute or two, either he really doesn't know, or there is something bothering him but he's not ready to tell you. Don't push.
3. Once he offers up a more thought out answer (or you are convinced he really doesn't have an additional one), ask him what he thinks might help him sleep more. Again, you might need to give him some time. As you allow this time for thought and are quietly listening, if there is something he is anxious about, you are demonstrating that you aren't mad and just want to help and building trust. He will come around.
4. Point out that his current way of dealing with being awake at night is preventing everyone else from getting sleep and how unfair that is. State this using an "I" such as, "I'm worried none of you are getting enough sleep, but it is especially unfair to your brothers who could be." Then follow your statement with what you would like without giving an answer, "Is there a way you could do something that would be calm and more likely to help you get back to sleep sooner as well as allow your brothers to continue to sleep even though you are awake?" Perhaps he would like a book light and some books to read. Perhaps he could have some headphones and some calming music to listen to. Who knows what he'll offer up. Listen to it.
5. Leave the conversation not having made any decisions. "Lets continue to think about this and brainstorm and then we'll talk about it again same time tomorrow and make some decisions about what to do." He might think of something else while you are all "away from it" to add to the conversation because he will feel less pressure when not engaged in the conversation in the moment. You can use the time to consider options he brought up and options you've considered and what you think is a realistic solution and what won't work.
6. When you meet again, let him speak first. After you've heard anything else he has to add propose your plan - that hopefully uses elements of what he has said. Put the plan into action and see if it helps. Give the plan at least a week. If it isn't working, revisit and start again.

 As long as he isn't keeping the rest of the house up, a calm quiet activity might actually help him get back to sleep faster because it will engage his mind long enough to distract it from the fact that he should be sleeping.   With Alice, we have a snooze button set to 30 minutes.  She can push it and some lullabies will play for 30 minutes.  If she still isn't asleep when the music turns off again, she can read in bed for another 30 before trying for sleep again.  Of course you'll want to work out options that are best suited to your child and home.  If you don't have a self-reader, audio books might work (but if there is a sibling in the same bedroom, this could also pose a problem).  Whatever you choose, your child's options should be quiet and not bother others, be soothing and the kind that are likely to allow his brain to calm down and let him again too. 

Punishments and Consequences:

Punishing a child for not sleeping, is likely to leave him in a lose-lose situation where he is stressed out because he knows he is supposed to be sleeping but can't and is bored out of his mind because it is dark and he is supposed to be quiet but he is wide awake and can't do anything about it.  For this reason, punishing a kid because he or she can't sleep is counter-productive.  However, if a child is consistently waking up the whole household in the middle of the night, you do have a second problem to address beyond the one child's sleeping challenges.

In the case that you have a plan set up, your child knows and understands the plan (and was even a part in devising it) and your child is still waking every one else you may need to resort to consequences.  Perhaps he misses out on something cool to do some chores that other members of the house would normally do to allow his family members to "catch up on sleep" that has been missed because of his loudness.  Whatever you decide to do in this regard, I suggest making sure it is purely a consequence for having awaken every one else, and not for not sleeping.